1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to respiratory devices and, more particularly, to apparatus responsive to inhalation for actuating commercially available inhalers capable of discharging a medicated vapor spray.
2. Description of Related Art
Many persons suffering from emphysema and other respiratory diseases or disabilities have difficulty breathing from time to time, depending upon the activity engaged in, degree of inflammation of respiratory tissues and other stresses. A number of medications are usable to alleviate the debilitating symptoms or to restore normal breathing. Many of these medications are dispensed from aerosol-like dispensers as a vapor to be inhaled directly into the lungs. The dispenser may include an outlet port to be placed in the user's mouth in sealed relationship to ensure passage of the medication down the user's throat and into his lungs. Actuation of these devices generally requires a compressive force to be exerted by a user's hand after the outlet port is placed within the mouth.
For many persons, actuation of the device is of no moment. However, others who have a need for such inhalers may also suffer from the debilitating effects and limitations attendant arthritic hands. Some of these persons no longer have the requisite strength or manual dexterity to compress the inhalers. Yet other persons may become too disoriented or otherwise not be capable of using the inhalers when needed which debility may be caused in part by the difficulty experienced in breathing.
In an effort to overcome the need to compress an inhaler in order to use it, numerous devices have been developed as attachments to such inhalers. Some of these devices require actuation of a mechanical element which directly or indirectly compresses the inhaler to provide discharge of the medicated vapor. Such devices are not readily usable by persons who are not fully dexterous or persons who may become disoriented due to or as a result of breathing difficulties. Yet other devices have a triggering mechanism which is manually actuated. Upon actuation, the medicated vapor is discharged from the inhaler. Again, such devices require a degree of dexterity which may not be available to every actual or potential user due to physical frailty or disorientation.
The following U.S. Pats. Nos. disclose prior art devices of the type described above: 3,157,179, 3,178,748, 3,356,088, 3,456,644, 3,456,646, 3,656,070, 3,636,949, 3,789,843, 3,814,297 and 3,826,413.